


Solitude

by teej_318



Series: Byler and Reddie Oneshots [12]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: And Mike has some news, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, The Party graduates high school, Writer Mike Wheeler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-08 02:25:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19861975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: While celebrating The Party's high school graduation, Mike reveals his plans for the summer to work on his writing.





	1. Announcement

Mike stood up from his sofa. The chatter of the rest of The Party instantly died as their paladin rose. He looked around at all of his friends, beaming at them. He couldn't believe how far they had come in the last few years and that it was all worth it. That afternoon, they had all walked across the stage as high school graduates. It had seemed surreal to them all, but even now, it was hard to believe that this chapter of their lives was over. Before he spoke, Mike took a deep breath, looking at Will, who looked back at him with a confused expression.

"All right, guys, there's something I have to tell you all," Mike said. "I wanted to wait until after graduation to tell you all what my plans were for this summer so that none of you would try to talk me out of it."

As Mike expected, everyone's expression changed into looks of confusion. Dustin and Lucas frowned at him. Max furrowed her eyebrows. El looked worried, while Will just looked plain scared. Mike hurried to keep talking.

"It's nothing bad or anything, everyone, I promise. It's just something I've been thinking about for a couple of months now and it's something I really want to do before we start college in the fall."

"What's going on, Mike?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, why all the buildup?" added Dustin.

"Sorry, I guess I should just come right out with it," Mike said sheepishly. "Okay, here goes." Mike took a deep breath. "Tomorrow morning, I'm taking a month long trip to a cabin out near Indianapolis."

Predictably, everyone opened their mouths to protest what Mike had just told him, or ask questions, but Mike plowed on.

"It's nothing bad or anything, guys, I'm just going there so I can be on my own for a little while to work on my writing. I've had some big ideas for some things I'd like to write and I'd like to make some progress on them before we go off to college and I get too busy to write."

The Party simply stared back at him, dumbfounded. There were several seconds of silence before Max finally recovered.

"How are you going to afford it, Mike?"

"Uh, I kinda signed up for a competition to win a scholarship to stay there for a month, and I ended up winning it with one of my essays."

"When did this happen?" El asked. "And why didn't you tell us you were gonna try it?"

"I only found out that I won a couple of days ago. I've only had enough time to tell Mom and Dad before graduation, and even then, they're barely letting me go. I convinced them that this was just something I could try and since it doesn't cost anything, they agreed."

Mike grinned at everyone else, but couldn't help worry slightly that Will hadn't said anything yet. He glanced at his boyfriend and saw that Will was staring at Mike intently, as if trying to determine if Mike's words were a prank or something else. 

"You're sure about this, Mike?" asked Dustin. "You really wanna spend a month by yourself in a cabin?"

Mike nodded.

"It's just so I can be alone with my ideas and really hone in on them. Who knows, maybe I'll end up writing a book while I'm there."

Dustin, Lucas and Max then smiled widely. They stood up and hugged Mike individually. 

"I think it's a great idea," Dustin said happily.

"Yeah, you're crazy, but maybe you'll write a masterpiece and become famous!" Lucas exclaimed.

"You'd better not forget about us when you're rich and famous!" said Max with a grin.

"Oh, please, I doubt I'm gonna be like the next Stephen King or something, but thanks for your support guys."

Mike looked at El and Will, who were still sitting down. El considered Mike for a few moments before she smiled and stood up to hug Mike, too. 

"Just promise me you'll be safe out there," she whispered as he held tightly onto Mike.

Mike felt his heart leap slightly. Though it had been years since he and El dated when they were in middle school, hearing her talk so softly about him still made his heart flutter. Even though his heart belonged to Will, El always held a special place in Mike's heart. Mike hugged El back, trying to reassure her.

"I will be. I promise," he whispered back.

Mike and El broke their hug and Mike turned to Will, who was still staring at him. This was making Mike nervous now; Will being quiet like this was never a good sign. It usually meant that Will was upset about something.

"Will?" Mike said gently.

Will seemed to snap out of a trance. He shook his head slightly as he stood up and walked out of the room. Mike's heart sank as he saw Will storm off.

"Shit," Mike muttered as he hurried past the rest of The Party and followed Will upstairs. "Sorry, guys," he added hastily. "I'd better go talk to him."

Mike ran up the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him. He was relieved when he saw Will was simply sitting in the living room and he was grateful that his parents had gone out for a little bit with Nancy and Holly. Mike approached the sofa and sat down next to Will.

"Hey," Mike said gently.

Will didn't respond and didn't look at Mike. Mike sighed quietly and placed a hand over Will's. He noticed right away that Will's body had been tense and he saw it visibly relax at his touch. 

"Will, look at me, please."

Will slowly raised his head and looked at Mike. Tears were swimming in Will's eyes and he looked like he was on the edge of sobbing. Mike tightened his grip on Will's hand.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"How could you not tell me?" Will demanded.

"Oh, Will, I'm sorry," Mike said as he felt his heart breaking for the boy he loved. "I just didn't want you to try talking me out of it."

"Do you really think I would do that, Mike? Would I talk you out of doing something like this for your writing? I know how much you love writing."

"Will," Mike said as he reached over with a finger and used it to raise Will's chin. "Can you honestly tell me that if I had told you earlier, you wouldn't have tried talking me out of going away for a month? Can you tell me that?"

Will didn't answer at first, but Mike knew the answer without hearing it. Will broke down into tears and Mike pulled him in for a hug.

"I'm sorry for not telling you, Will, but I'm just gonna be gone for a month," Mike said as he held tightly onto Will. "And I'm gonna call you every night while I'm there, okay? I promise, Will."

Will nodded as he cried into Mike's shoulder. 

"And I'm not doing this to push you away, Will. God, I wish I could take you with me, but I think you'd probably distract me from my writing."

Finally, Will let out a laugh. His laughter mixed with his crying, but it was music to Mike's ears. He broke the hug, but kept his arms around Will's waist as he looked Will in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Mikey."

"I know, Willie. I know. But I'll be back before you know it and then we'll be off to college with everyone else and we'll have our dorm room together and we'll be together forever. I promise, Willie."

Will nodded as he leaned forward and kissed Mike. Mike melted into the kiss as Will clung desperately to him. The kiss was filled with urgency, as if Will was trying to convince himself that what Mike said was true. Mike held Will gently as he kissed him back, trying to reassure Will that he was serious. 

When they broke the kiss, Will pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you, Mike."

"I love you, too, Will." 

* * *

Will couldn't help but feel excited. Finally, today was the day Mike was coming home from his month long isolation in the cabin. True to his word, Mike had called Will every night before bed and they usually spent half an hour talking about their days, though Mike was vague on the details of what he was writing. And to Will's surprise, Mike had written him a small note every day that he sent in the mail. The notes were simply things such as "I miss you. See you soon. Love, Mike." But their simplicity made them all the more special to Will. 

He had just gotten out of the shower and dressed when the phone rang. Will scrambled out of his room and to the phone, shouting to his mother that he would get it. Will picked it up quickly.

"Hey Mikey, I can't wait to see you..."

"Will, it's Max," came Max's tone on the other end of the line. Will noticed that her tone sounded rather grim, but didn't think much of it.

"Oh. Sorry, Max. What's up? El is just about to get in the shower, so she's not able to talk."

"Will, you guys need to get to the hospital as quickly as possible," Max said urgently.

Will felt his heart drop in his chest.

"Why? What happened?" he demanded.

"Mike was driving back early this morning when another car ran into his," Max said. "He was hurt. They're working on him right now. Get here as quickly as you can, Will." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and El hurry to the hospital to see how Mike is doing after the car accident he was in.

Will and El hurried into the waiting room, where the rest of The Party was sitting together. Nancy was also with them and Will had never seen her look so scared in all of the years of knowing her. As soon as Nancy saw Will was in the room, she leapt up from her chair and threw herself into his arms, sobbing. 

"What the hell happened?" Will demanded as he held onto Nancy and the others stood up behind her. 

"The other driver ran a stop sign and plowed into Mike," Max explained in a hoarse voice. “Mike wasn't going that fast, but the truck was much bigger than his car and it did quite a bit of damage to it."

"Oh my god," Will whispered as he broke the hug with Nancy. Tears started to fall down his face. "Is he okay?"

"They're working on him now," Lucas explained. "They say he doesn't have any major injuries, but that he might have a concussion."

"So, he should be okay!" Will said with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. 

"They haven't said for sure, but they've only been working on him for a little bit," said Dustin. "But, yeah, I think he'll be fine. Mike is tough."

"Are you okay, Nance?" Will asked in the gentle voice that was usually only reserved for Mike.

"I don't know," Nancy said. "I've never been this scared in my whole life. I called Mom and Dad to let them know and they're on their way. They were out shopping when I got the call to come here. What about you two?"

"I'm just worried about him," El said as she impatiently wiped a tear away. "And I'm glad I didn't get into the shower cause otherwise I would've shown up here without clothes on."

Everyone chuckled weakly at El's joke and she grinned at them. 

"Will?" Nancy prompted.

"I'm fine," Will said, nodding at her. "I mean, I'm worried about him, but I know Mike. He's a fighter and he'll pull through this." 

Just then, a doctor appeared in the waiting room. He approached Nancy as he if he knew who she was. Will tensed slightly until he heard the doctor speak.

"Miss Wheeler?" the doctor said.

Nancy turned around and her eyes widened when she saw the doctor.

"How is he?" she demanded.

"Your brother is going to be just fine," the doctor replied with a smile. "He has some bruising and swelling, but other than that, he has no damage to any of his body. He is also concussed, but with some bed rest here for a day or two, he should be able to leave her soon."

"Can we see him?"

"We're moving him now to his own room. As soon as he's set up, you can go and see him. But for now, let's keep the number of visitors to a minimum, all right?"

Nancy nodded at the doctor as she gripped onto Will's hand tightly.

"Thank you, doctor," she said. The doctor nodded and walked away. Nancy turned to Will and pulled him into another hug, which quickly became a group hug as the rest of The Party threw themselves onto Nancy and Will. They only broke apart when they heard approaching footsteps and the voice of Karen Wheeler.

"Nancy, oh my god, what happened?" Karen demanded. "Is Michael all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, Mom," Nancy said as she wrapped her arms around Karen. "They just told us that he's gonna be okay."

"Oh, thank god," Karen replied as she dissolved into tears. Ted pulled Holly into a hug, looking younger than Will had ever seen him. 

About twenty minutes later, the doctor returned to escort Mike's family to his room to let them see him. Even though he wanted to go with them, Will refrained, to let the family have as long as they wanted with Mike on their own. He sat with the rest of The Party, twiddling his thumbs anxiously as he waited for them to come back. After what seemed an eternity, Karen, Ted and Holly returned to the waiting room and nodded at Will and El to go and see Mike. Karen told Will that Mike was in room 303 and that it was just down the hall. 

Will and El hurried to Mike's room. Once they were inside, they slowed their pace, both of them suddenly nervous at seeing Mike hooked up to any machines and seeing him so vulnerable. Nancy looked up when she saw them and smiled at them, motioning for both of them to join her. El sat down next to Nancy and stared at Mike while Will sat down on the opposite side, taking one of Mike's hands into his own. 

Will simply stared at Mike in silence as a million emotions coursed through his veins. Above all, he felt relief at seeing Mike in the flesh for the first time in a month, and he could feel his love for Mike dominating all of his feelings. Knowing that Nancy and El wouldn't care that he did, Will bent down and gave Mike a kiss on the forehead before he sat back down and simply stared at Mike and held his hand.

El soon left the room with Nancy, both of them knowing that Will wouldn't leave until he saw Mike wake up. Will stayed sitting next to Mike and looking at him as the rest of The Party came into the room and checked on Mike. Will didn't move and didn't take his eyes off of Mike until hours later when a familiar voice pulled him from the trance he was in.

"Hey," Joyce said softly.

Will's eyes shot up. He was always happy to see his mother, but her presence now calmed him in a way he didn't think was possible. Joyce was carrying a bouquet of flowers and a brown envelope. She set them down before she hurried over to Will and pulled him into a hug. Will broke down in his mother's embrace, finally letting out all of his emotions. Joyce held him for several minutes until Will's tears subsided and he broke the hug.

"They told me in the waiting room that he's gonna be okay," Joyce said with a smile. "But are you doing all right, sweetie? I know it must've been scary getting that phone call."

"I'm doing better seeing that him breathing and hearing that machine beep," Will said in a tired voice. "I just wish he would wake up so I can talk to him."

"He will, honey, I promise," Joyce said. "Listen, have you eaten anything yet?" Will shook his head. Joyce pursed his lips slightly. "Well, I'll go and get you something to eat from the cafeteria. You really should eat something, Will."

"Okay," Will said. "Anything is fine, but nothing too heavy, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie," Joyce said as she bent down to give Will a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be right back." 

Joyce stood up to leave but hesitated as she started to walk past Mike's bed. She bent down and gave Mike a kiss on the forehead too before she left the room. Will couldn't help but smile at his mother's gesture. He glanced over at the flower bouquet and the envelope caught his eyes again. Will stood up, giving his body a much needed moment to stretch after sitting for so many hours, and he walked over to the shelf where Joyce had left the flowers. Will picked up the envelope and noticed right away that it was addressed to him from Mike at the cabin.

Will's curiosity got the better of him and he carefully opened the envelope, which had "Do not bend" written on it. Soon, Will had opened the envelope and pulled out two sheets of paper. One was printed on glossy paper and appeared to be a photograph, while the other was a normal piece of paper. Will looked at the glossy image first, which was a cover of a book. The book title was "Crazy Together" and Will felt his heart leap when he saw that. Then, he looked further down the photo and saw Mike's name written across the bottom as the author of the book.

Will let out a gasp when he saw this before he brought the other piece of paper to his attention and read the note from Mike.

_ Hey Willie, _

_ Surprise! I managed to write a book when I was out here! It was totally worth it. And yes, it's a love story based on us, which is why it's called Crazy Together. I can't wait to see you so we can celebrate! _

_ Love, _

_ Mikey _

Tears welled up in Will's eyes as he finished reading Mike's note. As if on cue, Will heard Mike speak.

"Will?" Mike said weakly.

Will's heart leapt as he set down the two pieces of paper and returned to Mike's side. He sat down next to Mike, who turned to look at him with a look of confusion on his face.

"What's going on, Will?" Mike asked softly. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Mikey," Will replied in a shaky voice. "You were in a car accident on your way back to Hawkins."

Mike's eyes widened.

"A car accident?"

"But you're okay, Mike. You're okay." Will said before he leaned in and gave Mike a kiss. Mike kissed him back just as desperately as Will kissed him. It was one of the most intense kisses they had ever shared together and even though it seemed to last an eternity, it was over far too early.

"What happened? Did I crash into someone?"

"No, someone crashed into you. They ran a stop sign and hit your car. I guess they did a number on your car, but you're okay. The doctor says you're concussed, but with some rest, you should be out of here in a few days."

"How long as it been?"

"The car accident was this morning and you've been out all day. Nancy told me earlier that they had pumped you full of sedatives when they were checking on you, which is why you've been asleep all day. I'm just glad to see you."

"Me too, Willie," Mike said with a smile.

"And there's something else," Will said.

"What?" Mike asked, sounding and looking fearful.

"I got your letter," Will replied. Mike frowned. "About the book!"

Mike's eyes lit up.

"Oh thank god I was worried I was gonna beat it back here," he said. "Surprise, Willie! I got it written and I sent it to a publisher and they loved it. It's gonna come out sometime this fall!"

"I'm so proud of you, Mikey," Will said as he bent down and gave Mike another kiss. "But don't you dare ever scare me like that again."

Mike chuckled.

"I promise, Willie. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Mikey. Crazy together." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I came up with the idea for Mike to have written a love story based on his and Will's and I loved the idea. And of course the only appropriate title for that book had to be Crazy Together, am I right?
> 
> Come yell at/follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> Oof. Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger like that. Or am I? ;) 
> 
> Don't worry, there will be a part two, and no, Mike is not gonna die. I couldn't kill him off, even if I wanted to. But the next chapter will be a little sad as Will worries about Mike at the hospital. But, Mike also has a little surprise for Will.
> 
> I'll most likely be writing the second part of this in the next day or two. Stay tuned!
> 
> Come follow and/or yell at me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)


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